Drift 1 Assesment

1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)

One main stressor that I encountered throughout Drift 1 was the overpowering noise of the city. Although many interesting sounds can be produced by cars, machinery, groups of people, etc. I found it very hard to capture other sounds without being intruded upon by the sounds of the city. I can't even count how many times I was listening to my recordings and thinking to myself "wow, this sounds great, I should use this for my..." only to be cut off by the deafening semi driving by or the backhoe firing up just down the street.

The other main thing that bothered me was being approached and asked about what I was doing by pedestrians. I have no problem talking to people, and I would be glad to explain to them what I was doing... but not right in the middle of my recordings. I was trying to record sounds from inside a tube slide at Lake Park, but I couldn't get more than 45 seconds of decent recording in without somebody (child or adult) coming up and asking me tons of questions about what I was doing. Eventually, I gave up on recording from the tube slide and moved on in my drift.


2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.

The point during Drift 1 when I felt the most relaxed and peaceful was when I was down by the lakeshore. I grew up on the shore of Lake Superior and have always loved the sound of crashing waves, but I have never been able to listen to it from this perspective. I could hear everything, from the thundering crashing waves, to the tiny trickle of water rushing over the rocks and back towards the lake. I felt like I could distinguish every drop of water from the next, and it was truly amazing.

Another point during Drift 1 that I felt very at ease was when I was in Lake Park next to some bird feeders. I placed my microphones on an empty feeder then sat in the grass about 15 yards away and just watched the birds interact. I sat and observed the birds for about 20 minutes, remaining completely still and silent so I wouldn't scare them away. They were fluttering all around the feeders, calling to each other, eating the birdseed, and darting around the woods from tree to tree. At one point, I became completely immersed in the birds' world, paying close attention to every detail of it, only to realize that I was still in Lake Park, and still had to finish doing my drift.

3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)

One big surprise that I encountered during Drift 1 was the sounds created by the bird that landed on the empty bird feeder with my microphones. I expected to hear the rustling of it's feather, or maybe capture a bird call up close, but the resulting recording sounded almost like somebody dragging something metallic across a fence. At the end the bird flew away and you could hear its wings fluttering much faster than expected as well.

I came across another surprise while listening to my recordings from when I suspended my microphones inside a culvert near the lakeshore. The first minute or so of the recording was nothing special... waves crashing, wind blowing, etc. then about 1 1/2 minutes in I heard this very unique low pitched echoing thud. From then on, the thud continued at least once every minute. I tried to figure out what caused this sound but nothing came to mind. I even went back to the same spot with my microphones and imitated my first recording, but the sound was no longer there. I still have absolutely no idea where it came from.

The biggest surprise of Drift 1 was how much fun I had doing it. At first, a 5 hour walk around the city on a cold windy day didn't sound like too great of an idea, but after the first half hour I found myself getting really into it. The further I got into my walk, the more fun I was having with it. By the end of the day, I couldn't wait to listen to all of the recording I had collected. I was telling my friends about how cool and different of an experience it was, and how great of a time I had. I never really expected to have so much fun doing homework.

4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.

My favorite part of Drift 1 was when I climbed up under the bridge on Ravine Road in Lake Park. There was a little chamber up there that I stayed in for probably 10 or 15 minutes that was very unique. The side walls had large circular holes in them, creating a sort of frame for the outside world. The sounds that entered the chamber echoed around it and sounded much different than they would have anywhere else. It was very peaceful up there, I felt almost like I was in my own little world. Since my drift, I have gone back to this place a few times just to sit, think, and relax.